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Law Office of Eric H. Luckman Working With Victims Harmed By Simply Thick

Our Palm Beach injury lawyer at the Law Office of Eric H. Luckman recently began representing a family whose young child was harmed after using the gel known as “Simply Thick.” Many local parents have been adding Simply Thick to the formula used by their newborn children who have swallowing issues and gastroesophageal reflux disease. The product is most often given to premature infants, but babies who went to full-term have also received the product after having issues with spitting up and inadequate weight gain. Now the major national regulatory body is warning all consumers that Simply Thick may pose hidden dangers to the children who take it.

The U.S. Food & Drug Administration recently conducted an investigation into the safety of the product. The FDA is now urging parents not to give Simply Thick to their prematurely born children because of its potential to cause necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC). As a West Palm Beach injury lawyer, we understand the seriousness of this FDA warning and the danger this gel poses to children in our area. We are already working on behalf of a local victim whose child began using Simply Thick after being born premature. The infant was given the thickening gel by medical personnel at the hospital and was then instructed to continue taking the product while at home. Unfortunately, the young child is already showing signs of being harmed after suffering from digestion complications and other problems.

NEC is often found in premature infants. It causes severe inflammation in the intestine of the child, leading to bowel perforations. Often those perforations require surgery to remove the affected part of the intestine. Severe infections and even death have been known to result from NEC. Parents concerned about the Simply Thick FDA warning should pay particularly close attention to their infant’s condition and be on the look-out for common NEC symptoms including a bloated stomach, bloody stool, green-tinged vomit.

Thus far the FDA has found at least 15 cases of premature infants who developed NEC after being fed milk or formula with Simply Thick. Two of those children died as a result of the problem. The intestinal issues developed in children who had taken the product for various lengths of time. Some of the babies contracted NEC after being given Simply Thick at a hospital while others were given the product at home. In the past six months four medical centers throughout the country have reported links between the condition and the thickening product.

The FDA is not yet aware of the exact reason why Simply Thick can trigger NEC in premature infants. A more thorough investigation is underway to better inform consumers of the reasons for the problem. Hopefully the more detailed analysis of the situation will help determine why the link exists and show what should have been done to prevent the problems. In the meantime, the advisory board is urging parents not to give the product to their children–there is no need to take any unnecessary risks.

If you or someone you know may have been harmed because of the use of Simply Thick, consider getting in touch with a Simply Thick lawyer to share your story and learn how the legal system may protect your rights. Also, be sure to keep informed of any new information that is shared about this potentially dangerous product and its connection to dangerous complications.